Month: June 2011

Another Steady “Race”

This morning I did the Achilles Hope & Possibility 5-Miler in Central Park. I finished in 37:57 (7:36s).

The start of the race was about 70 degrees with moderate humidity. Overall it was warm but good running weather. I set out to keep an even pace and not push myself. Generally, I did just that, though I did start to push just a little bit toward the end, eventually leading to a super-fast sprinting finish that had me overtake some people far ahead of me. I ended up doing “considerably” better in this weekend’s race then last weekend’s. Not really sure why other than maybe my mental game improved a bit. I’m feeling that my cardiac system needs strengthening, particularly my heart from pumping oxygenated blood into my system as I run.

I biked to and from this race (just like last week), which is an enjoyable tradition. Nothing much to report for this “race,” though. Just another “race” in which I didn’t (truly) race!

My Unofficial Garmin Stats:

Not a “Race” Per Se

This morning I did the Portugal Day 5-Miler in Central Park. In 71-degree weather with 63% humidity, the conditions felt good and felt warmer as the race went on. I finished in 39:24, or 7:53s.

Obviously, these aren’t the kind of results you’d expect from someone who qualified again for Boston by doing Boston just two months ago. These results are the result of sitting for hours and hours of late as I tweak code for website designs I’ve been working on. My lack of cardiovascular support was to be expected.

Because of that, I didn’t set my sites on any very high goals. I roughly aimed to do 8:00s, but more in my mind was to not race, and instead just run, and run slow at that. I think I achieved those goals as I didn’t get competitive with other runners and I let floods of people pass me. I did get out one of my famous sprinting finishes, fists pumping like a machine and all.

My Garmin died just before the race, probably the result of missing the charging contacts. I wasn’t upset, though. In fact, a lack of Garmin may have helped me stay focused on my non-competitive goals. Here are manually entered stats:

Registration for the Philadelphia Marathon 2011

I just registered for the Philadelphia Marathon 2011.  Note that it happens 2 weeks after the NYC Marathon 2011 that I’ll be running.  I’ve set as my goal time for Philly 2:59:59–that is, a sub-3:00 marathon.

Here is my confirmation:

Registration Confirmation for:

Dear BENJAMIN,

Congratulations! You are now registered for Philadelphia Marathon Weekend. Please check the event’s official website for updates: http://www.philadelphiamarathon.com/

This confirms your registration for the MARATHON!

Race start: 22nd & Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Art Museum area)

Marathon & Half Marathon Sunday, November 20th at 7:00 a.m.

The Philadelphia Marathon Committee wishes you the best in your training. If you have any questions, please visit our website at www.philadelphiamarathon.com.

Good luck with your training and we’ll see you in November!